Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"Angels in America" Celebrates 20 Years

I mentioned very briefly this summer that I was working on a piece about Angels in America for a magazine. (That's why we covered HBO's Angels in the 'Best Shot' series -- multi-tasking!)  The magazine is WINQ which covers global queer culture and the issue is out on newstands now. My piece was timed to coincide with the New York City revival. I'm seeing both halves during the Thanksgiving break.

<-- Here's the magazine cover, in case you see it and wanna pick one up to read the piece. There's also some sample pages from their digital edition you can peruse and it's available to download and whatnot. My piece is referenced on this cover near the bottom right hand corner "ANGELS ARE BACK IN FLIGHT: The Great Work Begins, Again."

I'm so used to staring at a computer screen that seeing a piece I've written in print is a different and much rarer feeling.

I also got a chance to speak to Mark Harris while writing the piece -- he's the author of the Pictures at a Revolution that we were all devouring last year -- since the article has a sidebar on him and husband Tony Kushner. Kushner is the playwright behind Angels and an Oscar nominee, too (for the screenplay of Munich). Here's a video from Signature Theater company on Angels 20th anniversary. Tickets are still available for shows in early 2011 as the play has been extended.


Angels In America at 20 Years: Tony Kushner from Signature Theatre Company on Vimeo.

Tell me you'll see Angels on stage first chance you get, wherever the opportunity happens to present itself. It's even amazing in tiny regional theaters (which is where I first saw it in the mid 90s) so seek it out.

4 comments:

gabrieloak said...

Nathaniel, Mark Harris is one of the best writers on popular culture around. I got to talk to him a bit at Wesleyan when he came to do a talk about the current state of Hollywood. You're lucky to have met with him.

Boyd said...

The article is great. Really worth a read :)

Peggy Sue said...

Saw Angels on stage back in 1996.
A powerful theatrical experience indeed!
The HBO series was mesmerizing too. I just love Justin Kirk's final monologue:

"This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all. And the dead will be commemorated, and we'll struggle on with the living, and we are not going away. We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come"

NATHANIEL R said...

gabriel - he's very sweet, too.

boyd -- thank you so much and thanks for your emotional support when i get writers block :)

peggy sue -- this is why i urge evveryone to see it. the play is so flexible / inherently great that you can't ruin it in production with a bad choice here or there or no budget. so every production is worth seeing.